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• Orlando City v Nashville SC: Pareja not worried about loss of momentum

  Oscar Pareja is keen to ensure Orlando City's positive momentum does not dissipate after one poor result, as they look to return to winning ways against Nashville SC.

  Orlando occupy the final automatic playoff place in the Eastern Conference, but their five-match unbeaten run in MLS play was halted by a 3-0 defeat to Sporting Kansas City last week.

  With struggling Nashville the visitors to Inter&Co Stadium this week, Pareja is not worried about that defeat being a turning point.

  "We recognise that we didn't have our best game in Kansas," Pareja said. 

  "We tried to get our energy back during this week, understanding that we have had a good time with good results and good football. 

  "We want to continue with that momentum, we feel it. We are just ready to play the next games here.

  "We agreed with the players that we lost energy at Kansas, but it's not something that is common for our team."

  Nashville, meanwhile, sit 14th in the standings, eight points adrift of Orlando, after losing seven straight regular-season games.

  The last of those was their first MLS outing under B.J. Callaghan as they went down 2-0 to Austin FC, but the new head coach saw positive signs in their performance. 

  "I think we played a game where the performance was good enough to win," he said. "We had a few moments that we lapsed. 

  "That's unacceptable, we have to learn from it, we have to improve it. You have to give credit to Austin, they were able to capitalise on those moments.

  "We just need to continue to sort of pound repetitions to get the timing right, get the technique right, get the service right."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH 

  Orlando City – Nicolas Lodeiro 

  Six different Orlando City players have recorded at least four assists this season, led by Lodeiro's eight. 

  Only Inter Miami (seven) have more players with at least four assists this MLS season, but Lodeiro is certainly the creative fulcrum for the hosts.

  Nashville SC – Hany Mukhtar

  Mukhtar has scored six goals against Orlando City in MLS play (including playoffs), tied for his most against any opponent (also six versus Atlanta and Chicago), though he has not scored in any of his last four meetings with the Lions.

  MATCH PREDICTION – ORLANDO CITY WIN

  Orlando have won four straight matches against Nashville, including in last season's playoffs, keeping clean sheets in all four matches.

  The Lions saw their five-match regular-season unbeaten run (four wins, one draw) halted by a 3-0 loss at Sporting Kansas City last time out, conceding as many goals in that defeat as in their previous five outings combined.

  However, they should bounce back here. Nashville's club-record regular-season losing streak extended to seven matches with a 2-0 loss at Austin last Saturday, and they have lost their last four on the road in MLS.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Orlando City – 58.7%

  Nashville SC – 19.8%

  Draw – 21.5%

• Alonso: Leipzig will test Leverkusen's Champions League nerves

  Xabi Alonso is looking for a big improvement from Bayer Leverkusen against fellow Champions League side RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on Saturday. 

  After a 3-2 league win at Borussia Monchengladbach, Leverkusen edged to a narrow 1-0 victory at fourth-tier FC Carl Zeiss Jena in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on Tuesday.

  Despite winning their opening two games of the season, and maintaining their impressive unbeaten streak, Alonso said his double-winning side are far from their best selves.

  "We know that we can play better and have not yet reached our top level yet. We need to work on that," Alonso told reporters on Friday.

  "That's why we want to carry on working. It's a process to achieve that level, but it's our aim, and we're focused on that. And I'm confident we can do it too.

  "The players know exactly what they have to do. We have a good flow in our game, and we have to maintain that so that we can work both with and without the ball."

  Leverkusen and Leipzig will both play Liverpool, Inter and Atletico Madrid in the revamped Champions League, with Alonso conceding that Saturday's match could be a test of his side's potential in that competition.

  "The game with Leipzig is a top match at Champions League level. They are very good opponents with very strong individual and collective quality and a great coach [Marco Rose]."

  "We have eight great opponents, and it will for sure be intense, and obviously I am looking forward to going back to Anfield."

  Leverkusen captain Lukas Hradecky has been ruled out due to illness and will be replaced by Matej Kovar in goal, Alonso also confirmed. 

• Cifuentes: Three big moments sealed QPR's first win of season

  Marti Cifuentes says there were "three big moments" that decided Queens Park Rangers' 2-1 win over Luton Town in the Championship on Friday.

  The Hatters took the lead in the 18th minute thanks to Jimmy Dunne's own goal, but a quickfire turnaround in the second half secured the three points for Cifuentes' side.

  Michael Frey was the standout as he set Nicolas Madsen up for the equaliser in the 59th minute before scoring the winner himself just three minutes later with a wonderful first-time volley.

  It is QPR's first win of the season, following back-to-back draws against Sheffield United and Plymouth Argyle, while Luton are still without a victory since dropping back into the second division.

  Cifuentes was pleased with the fighting spirit shown by his side, pointing out the key moments that helped them to put their first three points on the board.

  "There were three big moments in the game. Good start from our game, but then a goal and that changes the whole momentum," he told BBC Sport.

  "We know they are very good on set-pieces. They are a big team, very physical. From that moment, we struggled to get out of the high press as they went man-to-man all over the pitch, and we couldn't create those small connections.

  "Definitely until the beginning of the second half we struggled; Paul [Nardi] keeps us in the game with a big save.

  "So, then we scored for the draw, and that was the third moment in the game. Not only with the goals, but we had the dominance until the last five minutes, even when they pushed.

  "When we couldn't beat the high pressure, we invested to find the right moment and the first goal showed that."